1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool for turning a shower arm in threaded engagement with a supply pipe. Optionally, the tool may include a forked end for installing a compression fit shower arm adapter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shower installations have traditionally been accomplished by extending a vertical supply pipe or tube upward from a shower tap to shower height where it is connected to a drop ear 90 degree elbow fitting which is nailed or screwed securely to a plate positioned within a stud wall. The elbow fitting includes a receiver having xc2xd inch female N.P.T. (xe2x80x9cNational Pipe Threadxe2x80x9d) threads which faces toward the shower room ready to receive a male threaded shower arm. The shower arm is typically a 6xe2x80x3 to 8xe2x80x3 length of pipe threaded xc2xdxe2x80x3 N.P.T. at both ends and bent roughly 45 degrees in the middle. Shower arms are commonly made of thin wall brass tubing plated with chrome. A shower head is then threaded onto the outwardly extending end of the shower arm.
In another, more recently developed shower arm installation method, the supply tubing terminates in a length of xc2xd inch nominal (⅝xe2x80x3 O.D.) tubing or xe2x80x9cstub outxe2x80x9d which protrudes out of the wall. The tubing including the stub out can be copper, brass or stainless steel tube or one of a variety of types of plastic tubing. The stub out is preferably strapped into position at shower height via a simple two hole strap or the like. A specialized adapter such as the WALL NUT(trademark) manufactured by Sioux Chief Manufacturing Co. of Peculiar, Missouri, is then slid onto the protruding stub out until the adapter abuts the wall. The adapter is made of molded plastic and includes an integral metal one-way gripper ring which is configured to allow the adapter to be slid over the stub out but not retracted off of it. The adapter also includes an O-ring held in position by the gripper ring which provides a tight seal against the stub out. Both the gripper ring and the O-ring are held in position within the adapter via a retaining flange which is heat and pressure treated to conform it to a retaining position. The adapter has a xc2xdxe2x80x3 I.P.S. (xe2x80x9cIron Pipe Sizexe2x80x9d) front opening with female threads forming a threaded receiver sized to accommodate a standard xc2xd inch I.P.S. shower arm or a special nipple having male threads at each end. The adapter further includes an integral ferrule within the threaded receiver which compression seals a shower arm as it is threaded into the adapter. Once the adapter is pushed into position against the wall, it holds the stub out securely into position and prevents the stub out from being pushed backward into the wall. The in-wall bracketing prevents any forward movement of the stub out. Any excess length of the stub out extending beyond the adapter into the shower room can then be cut off just past the end of the adapter.
Due to the thin wall construction of a standard xc2xdxe2x80x3 I.P.S. brass shower arm, the stub out can be received within such a shower arm. The shower arm is thus placed over the remainder of the stub out and threaded into the adapter, placing it in a sealing position between the threaded receiver and the integral ferrule. The adapter can be rotated about the stub out to allow the shower arm to be positioned at the desired orientation. The adapter includes a housing with a base flange which includes radially extending fingers which are flexible and discontinuous, allowing weep holes for moisture to escape and also allowing an escutcheon plate to be slid onto the shower arm and snapped onto the base flange fingers to cover the adapter and hole. The base flange also securely retains the escutcheon plate in place, preventing it from rattling loose and away from the finished wall. A shower head can then be installed onto the shower arm to complete the installation of the shower head.
In either of the above-described installation methods, the shower arm must be threaded into a receiver and tightened into its final position. The shower arm must be tightened down firmly enough that the joint between the shower arm and receiver will not leak. In addition, the shower arm must sometimes be tightened past the point which would ordinarily be tight enough to prevent leakage so that the proper orientation is achieved (i.e. the shower head must be pointed downwardly).
Because it is desirable that the chrome finish of the shower arm not be marred during installation, it should not be installed using a common pipe wrench or slip-joint pliers, both of which have serrated metal jaws. Previously, various types of strap wrenches and soft jawed wrenches have been used to tighten shower arms, however these wrenches often do not grip securely and, therefore, tend to slip. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,416 to W. C. Hamblin, entitled Shower Head Supply Pipe Tool, discloses a specialized tool for use in installing shower arms. The tool has a cylindrical head which is inserted in one end of the shower arm, a hilt to stop the pipe at a predetermined length of insertion, and a straight, elongate handle by which to rotate the shower arm relative to the threads of the receiver. This device would be somewhat awkward to use since the handle would extend outwardly at an obtuse angle to the receiver into which the user is attempting to thread the shower arm, causing the user to rotate the handle in a cone shaped motion.
The present invention comprises a tool for tightening a shower arm relative to a female threaded receiver which receives a first male threaded end of the shower arm. The tool generally comprises a shaft having a diameter sized to fit within the shower arm through a second end thereof. The shaft has a first shaft end which is adapted to be inserted into the shower arm, and a second shaft end opposite the first shaft end. The shaft is bent at an angle which is generally complementary to the angle of the shower arm. The first shaft end is shaped to conform to the shape of and engage the interior surface of the bend in the shower arm and thereby prevent the tool from rotating relative to the shower arm. As such, the first shaft end includes a tip and is curved longitudinally therefrom in a first convex arc with a radius selected to approximately match the radius of an interior curve of the shower arm bend. The first shaft end is also curved laterally in a second convex arc selected to approximately match an interior radius of the shower arm. When the first shaft end is engaged within the shower arm, the tool is retained in a position relative to the shower arm wherein the portion of the shaft between the second shaft end and the bend is generally perpendicular to the portion of the shower arm located between its first end and bend.
Optionally, the second shaft end may include a fork having a pair of prongs separated by a gap sized and shaped to accept a stub out of water supply line which extends outwardly from a wall. The prongs are adapted to be used to push a compression fit adapter along the stub out and into an installed position adjacent the wall.